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There's a free festival in Toronto that will take you back to the '80s and '90s

Dust off your parachute pants and grab your bucket hats, because there's a free festival coming to Toronto that will transport you back to the 80s and 90s.

Nostalgic comic bookstore Silver Snail will be joining forces with The Combine — a Toronto-based creative space — to offer a two-week free expo experience where you can step into the VHS era of vintage cinema and "relive the moments that redefined entertainment." 

This year's theme, Press Play, will include artist meet and greets, merch, as well as a live mural drawing from Aug. 21 to Aug. 24 — plus, you'll be entered into the Silver Snail comic raffle each time you attend. 

You'll also be able to shop items from up-and-coming artists and win free stuff from partners such as Elevation Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Taro Group. 

"FAN EXPO has become so commercialized that it's lost touch with the emerging artists who are the true heartbeat of the industry," a description of the events read. 

"This free expo is aimed to change that, bringing back the magic of seeing your favourite characters on screen for the first time.​​​​​​" 

This year's free festival will run from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5 at The Combine, located at 225 Wellington St. W. 

Lead photo by

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